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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Visiting Asturias?

The holiday season is beginning to take hold here in Asturias. The majority of the year it is very quiet, with the main holiday season being 10 weeks from mid-July to Mid September. Outside of that there is only a small influx of visitors on weekends and bank holidays. We always wonder why the holiday season isn't longer? Outside of the main season, Asturias is still stunning and worth exploring.

We rarely promote third-party sites on our blog but through friendships, social media and blogs we have come across several sites/resources we think are worthy of mentioning... should you be considering a visit this year.

Outdoor activities are a major attraction here in Asturias with endless walking routes for all levels, unspoilt beaches for swimming, surfing or relaxing, rock-climbing (at all levels of ability), cave and geological exploration and numerous other outdoor pursuits. With over 200 km of unspoilt coastline, the Picos de Europa mountain range and a plethora of woodlands, river courses, valleys and streams, if you enjoy and value unspoilt landscapes, you will be spoilt for choice.

Beaches: This free App lists all the beaches in Asturias and provides information in Spanish and English. Maps, directions, photo-galleries, amenities and much much more - worth downloading and really easy to use.

Walking: This site is written by Nigel Burch proprietor of the eco-friendly hotel and farm Posada del Valle. He is a keen mountain and lowland walker and maintains this personal blog which provides information on mountain and coastal graded routes. Certainly worth checking out if you enjoy walking.

Climbing: Neither Luis or I are climbers but we often come across climbers on cliffs near our local beach or up high in the Picos de Europa and we stand in awe of their agility, strength and passion. This bi-lingual book has been put together to highlight climbing opportunities in NW Spain including Asturias, Cantabria and Leon. Definitely worth investing in if climbing is your thing.

We are conscious that as a destination Asturias is still relatively unknown. Personally we like it like that but recognise that the economy needs tourism and to get people here tourism needs promotion. One company that has made some great videos and news reports about the area is Where is Asturias? The website is not always the easiest to navigate in my opinion but with a bit of perseverance, you will discover some gems.

Guess the hordes are falling in now, after your write up.Aiming for Cuba, but I guess it will be Riba.However the hotel owners don't understand the concept of loyal repeat business, that I stay out of season for two weeks at the time, probably recommend the gaff to other etc.The idea of a discount for a 'long stay' guests seems alien.After five of such stays the offer was:'the price for the room is 75 Euros per day, including free breakfast"this year the price is up to 80.ah well, anyone for a house swap?Josey